Saturday, December 11, 2010

The Canadian military has published new guidance on transgender soldiers.

While debate continues in the US about openly gay troops, the Canadian military has been putting together a new policy on how trans soldiers should be treated, the National Post reports.

The policy says they should wear the uniform of their “target” gender but must be given privacy and respect. For example, no reason must be given when a person’s name is changed on military records.

The new policy does not allow military honours to be reassigned to new names, saying “there is no legal authority for rewriting history”.

Canada’s military first paid for gender treatment for a member in 1998 and deals with one or two trans troops every year.

Cherie MacLeod, executive director of PFLAG Canada, said the change was positive.

“This is an important step towards recognising a community that has always struggled for equal rights and basic human protection,” she told the newspaper. “When government becomes more inclusive, over time, society will follow.”